episode_0020

“That’s right… But weren’t you heading north?”

“That’s true, but I couldn’t help but worry.”

Libellone looked south and spoke.

“Now that it’s turned out this way, I’ll escort you to the village.”

“Really? Is that okay? It’s been several days already since our return has been delayed.”

“It’s fine. The church will understand.”

And so, Libellone rejoined us.

“But there are only five pigs left.”

Mirella, who had counted the pigs, said.

The sudden appearance of goblins startled the pigs, causing them to break free.

“Let’s take the remaining ones. How are we supposed to find the pigs that have fled into the forest in the middle of the night? There might be more goblins around.”

“Sigh, what a waste…”

* * * * *

We safely arrived at the village at dawn.

It was still too early for people to be awake.

The lightly foggy village was very quiet.

As we approached the store, someone was standing in front of it.

At first, I thought it was a ghost.

If a tall woman with long black hair standing in the dim dawn wasn’t a ghost, then what could she be?

Libellone gripped her sword and whispered.

“A peculiar being is blocking our path.”

I was about to rush forward and split it in half.

But shortly after, we confirmed that it was a desolate town official.

“Town official?”

“Jack… Jack… I’ve been waiting for you…”

The official ran up to me and clung to me.

“Are you okay? Is it because of the healing potion?”

“Hurry… Please… I can’t bear it any longer…”

“Have you already consumed what I gave you? And I told Hostante to give you a potion when the town official arrives…”

“I saved some and drank it all last night… But today, I tried to endure it because Jack was coming, but I couldn’t bear it any longer…”

The official desperately implored, digging into my arms, causing quite a dilemma.

Before anything else could happen, Mirella rushed in and pushed the official away.

“What are you doing?! He’s tired from the long journey!”

“I’m sorry… but I really can’t stand it.”

“Hurry in. You’ll really freeze to death out here.”

Seeing the stern look of the administrative officer, Mirella quickly opened the shop door.

“I feel like I’m going to die… I’m so tired and my body feels so heavy… I keep feeling like I’m going to collapse to the ground…”

She dragged the administrative officer into the shop.

“Well, Administrative Officer, there’s a potion here.”

“Please give it to me…”

As she uncapped the potion and drank, the administrative officer began to suck on the bottle with a strange expression on her face.

Watching this, a complex mix of pity and disgust crossed Mirella’s face.

“Ugh…”

Finally, the administrative officer let go of the bottle, saliva stretching between her lips and the bottle.

“Thank you, thank you. Thank you for giving me the potion…”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes… I’ll just… rest a little bit…”

Slipping ghost-like, the administrative officer lay down on the worn-out sofa in the corner, quietly snoring.

“How can a woman like that be an administrative officer?”

Mirella clicked her tongue.

“Well, then…”

She turned to Liberonne standing by the door.

“Is this really goodbye?”

Parting was regrettable, but it wasn’t right to keep a knight of the Order trapped in the village for our convenience. It would be burdensome for Liberonne, who had already left the Order for over a week.

It was best to let her go.

“Thank you, Liberonne. Thanks to you, everything went smoothly, and most importantly, lives were saved.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

“Even if you return to the Order, let’s keep in touch.”

“Understood, Lady Patron. I will continue to support your noble cause and determination from afar.”

She swept all the healing potions from the shelf into a bag.

“Take these. I won’t give them to you, but since it’s a potion shop, I’ll at least give you some potions.”

“Thank you. I’ll think of Lady Patron every time I drink a potion.”

Receiving the bag, Liberonne stared at me intently.

“Farewell, Liberonne.”

“Um, Lady Patron.”

Liberonne hesitated as if trying to say something difficult.

“Could you… hug me once…?”

“Huh?”

“Please hug me just once….”

Libellone’s face turned slightly red.

“Since receiving the revelation… I have never forgotten my guardian angel for a moment…. And now, meeting like this and parting for a while…. Ah….”

As I hugged her with a smile, Libellone couldn’t say more.

The touch of the cold and firm holy armor.

But there, I felt an inexplicable warmth.

It seems to be due to the influence of the sanctity flowing through Libellone’s body.

People often say that sanctity is the love of God for humans.

That’s why it feels so warm.

Libellone, wearing gauntlets, awkwardly stroked my back.

“Stay healthy, Libellone.”

“Yes, Guardian Angel….”

I am not Libellone’s guardian angel.

It was a lie told on the spur of the moment to prevent a disaster from happening.

But whether I am real or fake, does it really matter?

Libellone will gain strength from believing in me as her real guardian angel.

If a lie that harms no one is not necessarily all bad.

“Well then… I will really go.”

With a regretful face, Libellone mounted her horse, Gwismante.

“I hope to meet again someday.”

“I’ll write you a letter.”

“A letter…? Really?”

Libellone’s face brightened.

“I’ll be waiting for the letter!”

“Goodbye.”

“Farewell, Holy Knight.”

In response to Mirella’s farewell, Libellone gave a faint smile.

“Girl, become a knight. Don’t ever neglect your talents.”

“I got it. I’ll think about it. What if my brother doesn’t marry me?”

“Hah, what nonsense is he talking about? Such a small-minded guy.”

Mirella pouted as she fed the horse.

“Then goodbye, until we meet again.”

Libellone turned her horse towards the northern road.

We waved our hands until Libellone’s figure disappeared beyond the mist.

“She’s really hard to describe.”

Mirella spoke up.

“She’s scary and rough, but also seems kind and affectionate.”

“That’s probably how the gods who watch over us are.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know. They punish us for our mistakes, but still love us.”

“Sigh. You sound like a high priest.”

Mirella lightly applied honey balm to her giggling head.

“Now that the holy knight has left, let’s work together to improve the village.”

* * * * *

An abandoned barn on the outskirts of the village.

Repairs are currently underway.

To call it repairs is an overstatement; it involves bringing in potion knights to pull weeds, clear trash, fix broken fences, and patch up leaky roofs. There are hardly any materials in the village, nor are there residents with the skills to be called technicians, so there’s no other choice.

Evan, the junk dealer, has some skill, but it’s not enough to be considered “construction.”

For now, they’ll make do with temporary fixes and plan to bring in experts from outside to properly repair later.

The administrator came to see the pigs.

“The pigs are slimmer than me…”

Looking down at her large chest, the administrator muttered sadly.

“Are you sure you’re not a cow?”

Mirella retorted, looking at the administrator.

“A cow… That’s an insult to cows, Mirella. Cows produce milk and when they die, they become meat, but I’m just useless garbage with no purpose…”

“You can also make milk, administrator.”

The administrator’s eyes widened at Mirella’s words.

“How…?”

“Milk comes out after giving birth. With your size, you could probably fill a bottle every day.”

“I, I suppose… I’m just a useless body… Maybe I should get pregnant and produce milk… Contribute to the village’s population increase by having a child…”

“But what about souring the milk? You can’t even sell it.”

The administrator glared at the world with a gloomy and resentful look.

“You receive potions for free, so as a reward…”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Mirella’s eyes rolled back.

“If you try anything like that, I’ll tie your chest tightly with a rope!”

“I’m sorry, Mirella… It seems I’m just a worthless woman…”

As the distraught administrator collapsed and sobbed, the workers who were working nearby were all surprised and turned to look in their direction.

“There’s nothing I have except for a big, plump butt and uncontrollably large breasts… And even my nipples are buried inside… Plus, there’s so much hair that no one will ever like me…! Someone like me should just die…!”

“Administrator, it’s time to take your potion.”

As she handed over the potion, Mirella opened the lid and pushed it into the administrator’s mouth.

“Oooh! Ogo-ogooh! Ogo-gok!”

She’s acting like a crazy woman.

Shaking her head, she looked around at the pigs.

The fifteen pigs they brought in were clueless, casually wandering around here and there.

I have to raise them well and increase them to a hundred or a thousand…